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Lads


The Woliver Lads circa 1944 (from left to right: Hubert, Charles (Dad), Hoyt, and E. L.)


Memorial Day is observed on the last Monday of May. It was formerly known as Decoration Day and commemorates all men and women who have died in military service for the United States. Many people visit cemeteries and memorials on Memorial Day and it is traditionally seen as the start of the summer season.

(timeanddate.com)


As a lad in the late 1960s, I was forced to take a stand against the United States' misled involvement/war in Vietnam. I did not serve. Was I a peaceful protester? A coward? Or was I simply Pro-Choice?


Today as I salute our fallen veterans, I challenge the notion of nationalism, patriotism, and military draft. I am Pro-Choice; but I am not naive. I recognize that the peace I experience at Merry Mount is to a certain extent due to the sacrifice of human lives defending the freedoms and principles outlined in our nation’s constitution (however flawed and misinterpreted). But if one seriously considers the history of war, one will find that men and women have often been led by government officials into military skirmishes without due cause. Sacrifice is defined as "an act of giving up something valued for the sake of something else regarded as more important or worthy".


The lads in their hundreds


The lads in their hundreds to Ludlow come in for the fair,

There’s men from the barn and the forge and the mill and the fold,

The lads for the girls and the lads for the liquor are there,

And there with the rest are the lads that will never be old.


There’s chaps from the town and the field and the till and the cart,

And many to count are the stalwart, and many the brave,

And many the handsome of face and the handsome of heart,

And few that will carry their looks or their truth to the grave.


I wish one could know them, I wish there were tokens to tell

The fortunate fellows that now you can never discern;

And then one could talk with them friendly and wish them farewell

And watch them depart on the way that they will not return.


But now you may stare as you like and there’s nothing to scan;

And brushing your elbow unguessed at and not to be told

They carry back bright to the coiner the mintage of man,

The lads that will die in their glory and never be old.


-A. E. Housman


Housman captures the naiveté of young men who are conscripted or who will enlist having a misconception of the glories of battle.


The Greatest Generation, also known as the G.I. Generation and the World War II generation, is the demographic cohort following the Lost Generation and preceding the Silent Generation. The generation is generally defined as people born from 1901 to 1927. They were shaped by the Great Depression and were the primary participants in World War II.


-Wikipedia


Charles Woliver


Like most enlistees labeled the “Greatest Generation,” Dad volunteered to join the Navy at age 17 and joined his brothers in WWII. His decision was a personal choice. Most Americans would say that our involvement in WII halted the aggressive Japanese and defeated the Nazis whose atrocities were some of the most heinous against mankind. The cause perhaps equaled the sacrifice.



Thanks Dad for your service!


In conclusion, as I honor Dad and all veterans on Memorial Day 2022, I stand by Pro-Choice without judgment or retribution.


CPW

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